Air Force: French train hero stabbed in California

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, who was hailed as a hero for helping to subdue an attacker on a French train in August, was stabbed in California and was in stable condition, an Air Force spokesman said Thursday.

Lt. Col. Christopher Karns said that he had no details on the circumstances around the stabbing, which was being handled by local law enforcement officials. He said Stone was being treated in a hospital in the Sacramento area.

Stone, 23, and two of his childhood friends from Sacramento, National Guardsman Alek Skarlatos and college student Anthony Sadler, were vacationing in Europe over the summer when they stopped a gunman on a Paris-bound passenger train, receiving sudden celebrity and worldwide accolades.

President Barack Obama met with the three last month, praising them for their quick thinking and courage and calling them “the very best of America.” They were also awarded France’s highest honor by President Francois Hollande. The three appeared on late-night talk shows and received a hometown parade in their honor.

Stone suffered a cut thumb and other injuries in stopping the train attack. He is assigned to Travis Air Force Base in California.